Kirsten Bailey: Art

Posted on March 27, 2010 by Kirsten — 2 Comments

Saturday Selections – Calming and Soothing

It was a hectic week at work. To say the least. So, I’ve tried to pick some of my favourites from Etsy that put me into a calm mood this week.

First, I’ve chosen this beautiful cushion by Norajane. It features soothing creams, pinks and blues, with pretty little flowers and cute little birds. I fell in love with it the first moment I saw it.

I love the soft and pretty colours in this romantic necklace from Nostalgic Studio‘s “Edwardian Collection”. Its delicate design features a beautiful antique hand painted porcelain pendant:

With its soft blue thread, this framed embroidery titled “Flight Pattern” by Jennifer’s Gift would be a beautifully calming influence on any wall:

Finally, I just love this print by Paper Moth. It’s called “Perennial Moment“, which I think is a lovely title! I love the soft background colours and the image of the dandilion blowing in the breeze. A beautifully calming picture.

These items, a cup of tea and a weekend sleep-in are just what the doctor ordered for stress relief!

Posted on March 23, 2010 by Kirsten

Ode to Blue

Those who know me, know blue is my favourite colour – it’s not difficult to tell when you walk into my house. So when I received a message today saying that one of my pendants has been featured on a blog called ‘Ode to Blue‘, it made my morning!

If you’re a blue fan like me, go over and check it out, there are some lovely blue items there!

Posted on March 21, 2010March 21, 2010 by Kirsten — 1 Comment

Sunday Selections – Pretty in Pink

I know, I’m a day late with this one – I was having a very lazy day yesterday. I’m hoping to make up for it with lots of painting today.

This week’s Saturday Selections (well, Sunday Selections) is inspired by the colour pink. Pink and I have had a chequered history. I loved pink when I was little, and then as I grew older I decided I hated it – I think I was rebelling against the whole ‘pink is for girls’ thing. Now that I’m older still I’m loving it again – so here are a few of my favourite pink items from around Etsy:

First up is this devine lace tunic by Lirola. I have been eyeing this one off for a while now – I just love the pretty fabric and the applique embellishment! I think this top would be great worn with a pair of jeans, a pretty necklace and heels. I will be snapping this one up myself just as soon as I can afford it!

I’ve been really into wearing bracelets lately, something I never used to bother with, but there are so many pretty ones around that I just can’t resist. This is one of them – it’s called Monet, Iris’ Sterling silver lampwork bracelet, by Kajulee. I love the mottled colours in the lampwork beads, and the Swarovski crystals they’re paired with make a beautiful match.

Isn’t this ‘Poppy’ scarf by Tutus2 so pretty and feminine? It is made using vintage silk kimonos and japanese silk, and is one of a kind. I love the idea of using vintage materials to make new handmade objects, and this scarf is a great example of that.

Last, but not least, is this gorgeous necklace by Rue de Bijoux. It’s called “When she visited the Patisserie diet was the last thing on her mind” – isn’t that a fabulous title? All of the jewellery at Rue de Bijoux has great titles like that – the shop is worth looking at just for that, but it is also filled with beautiful vintage inspired jewellery. This pretty necklace is one of my favourites:

Be sure to check out all the other lovely items these sellers have in their shops!

Posted on March 19, 2010 by Kirsten

Moons of Jupiter: Redux

I just got an email from a customer I created some commissioned artwork for. He contacted me a couple of months ago about a set of 4 paintings I’d done, titled “Moons of Jupiter”, which I had already sold. I suggested I could paint something similar for him. I was quite happy with how they turned out, and today he emailed me a picture of how they look framed together on the wall:

If your favourite painting is one that is already sold, let me know and I’ll paint something similar, just for you!

Posted on March 15, 2010March 15, 2010 by Kirsten — 3 Comments

Monday Artday – Castaway

This week’s topic over at Monday Artday is “Castaway”. A great topic for a Monday in my opinion – most Mondays I’d rather be cast away on a tropical island (preferably one that serves cocktails):

Posted on March 14, 2010 by Kirsten — 4 Comments

Embracing the Storm – Two Happy Stampers Colour Challenge

I came across a blog called Two Happy Stampers this week, and was impressed by the beautiful cards they make.

For the month of March, they have posted a colour challenge – to use the following four colours in a work of art or craft:

I found it a little difficult to get the colours right, but I hope they are pretty close. This is the painting I came up with – I’m calling it “Embracing the Storm”:

I think the colour challenge is a great way to promote creativity, and I’ll definitely be back to participate in the next one, and in the meantime to check out the beautiful paper crafts at Two Happy Stampers.

Posted on March 14, 2010 by Kirsten — 17 Comments

Illustration Friday – Subterranean

This week’s topic over at Illustration Friday is “Subterranean”. My immediate thought was of layers of rock under the ground. This was my inspiration for this litte abstract watercolour, which I’m (not surprisingly) calling “Subterranean”.

Posted on March 13, 2010March 13, 2010 by Kirsten

Saturday Selections – It’s a Jungle out there!

This week’s addition of Saturday Selections is inspired by the rainforest… which my garden is looking increasingly like. It’s been raining a LOT here recently, and it seems that every weekend we’ve wanted to get outside and tidy up the garden, it’s rained. This weekend the sun is finally out, and when I wandered out into the garden these are some of the images that greeted me:

The grass is knee high. There is a huge vine choking *everything*. The insects are out and about and LOVING it. It’s not going to last though, because I’m determined to get out there today and tomorrow and tidy it up!

Until then, let’s celebrate the beauty of the rainforest with these wonderful Etsy finds:

My first rainforest favourite is this ‘Rain Forest Rivers’ bracelet by Karmelidesigns. I love the combination of earthy greens, coppers and blues. It features a Pietersite nugget, rhyolite, yellow citrine, deep blue dumortierite, and small black onyx beads, a few antiqued copper spacers, and a stylish toggle clasp.

Matching perfectly with this bracelet is this beautiful Tropical Rainforest Necklace by Aquasphere. It also features the earthy beauty of rhyolite. This volcanic stone’s mossy greens, browns and grays are a perfect match to the rainforest.

Of course, once you’re decked out in rainforesty-goodness for your neck and wrist, you need to have something pretty for your ears as well! I just love these Rainforest Blossom Bouquet Earrings by Eighthnote. The flowers are pretty and feminine, and I love the way they hang together. The shades of green and blue are perfect for the rainforest and look beautiful together.

Long before I had ever heard of Etsy, I was posting my artwork on deviantART. I love the support other artists give with their comments, and am inspired by the work of the wonderful artists who also submit their art to the website. One of my favourite artists from deviantART is Angela Vandendogard. I’ve admired her work for years and was delighted when I came across her store on Etsy, Jellybeans. This print titled Rainforest is a great example of her beautiful, whimsical style:

I hope you all enjoyed this little trek through the rainforest – hopefully by the next time I post, my garden will be looking less like a jungle and more like a garden again!

UPDATE:

I think the rest of the garden will have to wait until after bin day.

Posted on March 11, 2010 by Kirsten — 3 Comments

Creating “Brave”

As promised (OK, a little later than promised, but still!) here’s my step-by-step for the creation of my latest painting, “Brave”.

Creating "Brave" - step 2 — Step 2: Using masking fluid, I masked off the edge of the paper and created three separate panels.

Creating "Brave" - step 3 — Step 3 - Colour washes for the background. Here I've done the first two. I tried to give a feeling of the day passing - using the colours of sunrise, midday and twilight.

Creating "Brave" - Step 4 — Step 4: As I wanted to convey the idea of the same tree and bird changing over time, I wanted my tree to look the same in each panel. I usually paint my trees freeform, without sketching them first. This time, I sketched a tree in pencil first, and transferred it to the 3 panels so each would be the same.

Step 5 - 3rd background wash. I did this panel a little later as I was waiting for the masking fluid I used to create the stars to dry. Step 6 - The tree sketch transferred onto each panel of the painting. Step 7 - Trees and birdies painted in. Step 8 - Masking fluid rubbed off, painting completed!! Hope you liked learning about how I created this painting 🙂

Posted on March 7, 2010March 11, 2010 by Kirsten — 15 Comments

Illustration Friday – Brave

It’s been a while since I’ve participated in Illustration Friday – I tend to wait until a topic really grabs me.

Last September I spent a lot of my holiday sitting outside in our patio, reading and drinking cups of tea. It was so lovely and peaceful, that I often stopped reading and just sat and took in the scenery of my little garden. In one of our trees, a baby bird was learning to fly. It was amazing to just quietly sit and watch as he (or she?) spread his wings for the first time.

When I saw this week’s topic from Illustration Friday was “brave”, that little baby bird was the first thing I thought of, and was the inspiration for this painting:

I’ve posted a step-by-step about how I created this painting – check it out here.